Book/Report

In this annual publication, AHRQ reviews the results of the National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report. Providing a 5-year update on the National Quality Strategy, this report highlights that a wide range of quality measures have shown improvement in quality, access, and cost.

Tools/Toolkit > Fact Sheet/FAQs

This tip sheet provides 10 practical steps hospitals can undertake to improve patient safety, based on research funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The tips can be grouped into three areas: 1) reducing health care-acquired infections and retained surgical instruments through use of specific clinical practices; 2) improving drug safety by ensuring access to accurate drug information; and 3) improving the culture of safety through appropriate staffing and work hours for nurses and residents. These tips are based on high-quality research studies documenting the effectiveness of these interventions at reducing errors and improving safety for a broad range of patients.

Journal Article > Study

The financial costs associated with medical errors have gained increasing attention, due to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services policy of nonpayment for certain preventable adverse events. This study sought to estimate costs associated with adverse events (measured by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Patient Safety Indicators) in surgical patients. Importantly, by measuring costs for a 90-day period after surgery, the authors were able to estimate the postdischarge financial impact of adverse events. Up to 20% of costs were incurred after hospital discharge, and the investigators found significant impact of adverse events on mortality and hospital readmissions. The implications of this study and prior research in this area help formulate a business case for safety.